Cathy Schuster is the Study Abroad Coordinator in the Office of Student Finance (OSF)
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Cathy Schuster is the Study Abroad Coordinator in the Office of Student Finance (OSF) at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (UMTC.), where she graduated with a Bachelor’s in Sociology. She manages off-campus study financial aid coordination and serves as the primary liaison to the Learning Abroad Center, Carlson Global Institute and National Student Exchange (NSE) programs. Cathy and her advising team counsel Twin Cities and Rochester students for “Financial Aid Preview Meetings,” crucially helping them understand how their aid package would work with potential off-campus study costs, thereby ensuring the program is a good fit financially prior to confirming their participation. She has presented nationally and internationally on a variety of topics to further promote financial aid literacy for students, faculty, and staff. She has presented as a panelist in a Gilman-sponsored Financial Aid webinar, is a two-time Gilman selection panelist and has been a financial aid certifying advisor for many years. She has also presented at the 2018 National Student Exchange Annual Placement Conference and in several NSE webinars. Cathy’s work on the UMTC Education Abroad Network, in which she serves as a board member in addition to the UMTC Financial Barriers Advisory Group, has been integral in supporting the work of providing meaningful education abroad opportunities for students. Cathy also helped create the UMTC Bridging Loan program which received a 2015 Andrew Heiskell Award Honorable Mention. Cathy is serving a second term in the Benjamin A. Gilman Advisor Ambassador Program.
Creating a Culture of Education Abroad Belonging for First-Generation Undergraduates
Thursday, May 29, 2025
1:00 PM – 1:50 PM PST